Friction

Chapter 13

The entryway to Nina's apartment led directly into a very tight corner, which forced Max to tilt the three large boxes between them at an awkward angle. Nina and the boxes entered the apartment first. She barely made it through the door. There was very little space left for Max to scoot in behind her. With some effort, Max contorted his big body to slide along the edge of Nina's door frame. The shifting weight nearly made Nina trip and fall, but, luckily, Max's old football reflexes kicked in. He readjusted his stance and managed to absorb the teetering weight, helping them regain their balance.

"Sorry, I can be such a klutz," Nina muttered.

He assured her, "No worries, it's all good—"

His eyebrows shot up in alarm as she proceeded to stumble into the kitchen counter.

Nina winced. "Ouch!"

He gasped, "You okay there?"

She chuckled in seeming embarrassment. "I'm fine, no worries."

"You really can't be left unsupervised, huh?"

Nina stuck her tongue out at him. "Be nice. Or no pizza for you."

Max grinned. "Yes, ma'am."

With the three hefty boxes in tow, they shuffled through the kitchen into the living room. Max couldn't help stealing a quick glimpse around Nina's place. Again, she surprised him. She had moved in nearly two months ago. Yet, her space was barely filled with anything. It looked nothing like the stylish shit he recalled from his female housemates' rooms back at the Wilder Ones mansion. There was no Pinterest-inspired décor. No dangling fairy lights. No felt letter boards displaying motivational quotes. Nina owned basic necessities. Table. Chairs. Couch. TV. Nothing more. Every piece of furniture also looked a bit used and very aesthetically unpleasing together. The mismatched vibes reminded Max of his childhood home in Temecula. Due to tight budget constraints, his mom had purchased everything they owned from garage sales and Craigslist.

Max couldn't help wondering if Nina had done the same?

Did she grow up poor?

Like him?

His pretty neighbor's scarcity of stuff only seemed compounded by the fact that she lived in a larger model than his studio. It was a two-bed and two-bath apartment. Yet, Max had never seen another person enter or exit her place. Curiosity continued to tug at him.

Did she have a roommate?

Or a... boyfriend?

He nodded towards the second bedroom. "Does someone else live here?"

"Oh, yeah. My roommate is moving in next month," Nina replied offhandedly. "She wanted to wait until her current lease expired."

Max swallowed a pleased smile. Nina said roommate. Not boyfriend.

He followed her down another hallway. They tilted the boxes once again at the door and maneuvered their way into her bedroom. Max glanced around. All he saw was a full mattress propped up on a cheap metal frame and a medium-sized IKEA dresser. No posters on the wall. Not even a houseplant in sight. There was, however, a small picture frame sitting on top of her dresser. A picture of an older Asian couple stared back at Max. The woman had a stern, scary expression on her face, but the man was all smiles. Max concluded that these people had to be important to Nina. After all, she didn't seem to have anything personal on display in her entire apartment. Except for this photo.

Max helped Nina set all the boxes down. She groaned in relief and sank to the carpet. He plopped down beside her.

She asked, "You hungry, Max? I'm starving."